The Guy Next Door

Chapter 25

25

LEIF

“A s the media reported,” Detective Roth begins—

Zane asked me if I would stay at his place through her press conference the morning after we went to the police station, so we sit in bed with the omelets I fixed for breakfast.

Detective Roth stands at a podium with several uniformed officers and people in suits as she addresses the crowd of reporters. “…a body, later identified as Jason Kilbourne, was found yesterday around seven thirty a.m. on a property approximately five miles from the Wyachet Dam. When our team arrived on the scene, we discovered a body submerged in a creek with ropes and cinder blocks attached, clearly a deliberate attempt to conceal the body. That said, what was a missing-persons case has become a homicide investigation. Some of the inquiries I’ve received recently have pertained to who will oversee the case. After several internal meetings, it was agreed that homicide lieutenant Malcom Berkley and I will collaborate from this point forward. As some of you already know, I have experience in the homicide unit, and with our expertise, we hope our joint efforts will help us find justice for Jason Kilbourne and his family.”

“It’s all such bullshit,” Zane snaps at the TV.

He’s been pissed since talking to Roth. There’s been so much shit for him to process, I can’t imagine what’s going on in his head.

He fucking thought his brother’s body had been found. And though he was relieved that wasn’t the case, after his meeting with Roth, he was on edge. And I’m on edge too. If he’s right about the connection between Jason, Mike, and me, and that the guy who was in my parents’ house is a serial killer, that could have been my fate too.

I remind myself we don’t know who was at the house that night, but it’s a thought I can’t help but entertain.

When Detective Roth finishes speaking, Detective Berkley takes to the podium, offering assurances about his new role on the case. Zane hangs on his every word.

“At this time,” Detective Berkley says, “given the condition of the body when it was discovered, forensics is continuing to search for viable DNA samples to help identify persons of interest, but it’s still early days on that front, and we are eager to provide the public with answers as they become available to us. If anyone has any information, please don’t hesitate to call the local department number…”

“Should I give them a call?” Zane huffs.

There’s humor in his tone, but pain too.

I set my hand on his thigh, rubbing gently. He places his on top of mine.

When the press conference comes to an end, we set our plates on the nightstand, and he curls up against me, nestling his face into my chest. I just hold my Zane, hating that I can’t do more.

“When I saw that article last night,” he says, “I really thought it had to be him. As excruciating as it was to believe, it was a relief to have an answer. And to know that meant he wasn’t suffering. But then when I found out that wasn’t the case, God, I felt so damn guilty. Like I was wishing my brother dead.”

It’s a haunting statement, a glimpse into another way Zane can turn the blame on himself for his brother’s disappearance.

“Please tell me you know that’s not what you were doing,” I say.

“Death just seems preferable to some of the other thoughts I have about what might have happened to Jason before his death.”

His arm tightens around me, and he pulls me close. There’s warmth against my chest, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s a tear.

Oh, my poor Zane.

I slide my hand over the back of his head, running my fingers through his soft hair.

“Why is the world so fucked up?” he asks.

“I don’t know, Zane.”

He offers a gentle peck against my chest.

His words make me think about his dark childhood. His and his brother’s lives. Everything he’s had to deal with around his mental health.

How much is a person supposed to bear in this life?

“What do you have going on today?” he asks.

“I need to get home and check on Kyra. And I was gonna take her to the animal rescue clinic. She’s still not even attempting to fly.”

“Maybe it’s too cold out. She doesn’t want you to set her loose so she can freeze to death.”

I laugh. “The vet said she’ll be fine unless it’s below freezing. And I won’t just kick her out. I need to know that her wings are getting better. I can’t imagine she wants to spend her life all cooped up in that cage.”

“You’re a good bird daddy. But ask your parents if they’ll check on her, and go to the animal rescue center tomorrow. Stay in bed with me today. I’ll keep you safe right here.”

He tightens his hold even more, and though I know this has more to do with his brother than me, I can’t deny how safe I feel in his arms.

After half an hour, he finally relaxes his hold, and while he checks on the news articles about Jason, I get out of bed and take our dishes downstairs.

Zane brushes his teeth and showers up first, and then I do the same. When I finish washing shampoo out of my hair, I hear, “Leif, Leif!” coming from the bedroom.

Tension rises within me.

Did he read something about Jason? No, he doesn’t sound upset. Almost…excited? What the fuck is that about?

He draws the shower curtain. His eyes are wide, and he looks me over as though it’s the first time he’s seen me naked.

“Fuck, I’m feeling guilty for not violating you this morning.”

He’s changed. This isn’t the guy who was so full of melancholy all morning. He’s more like his usual self, but I can’t make out why.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“I got a message from Dman281.”

I remember the name from when he was explaining how he’d wound up in my parents’ place, but it hasn’t come up since.

“The guy who was on that subreddit. He reached out this morning.” He turns to his phone and reads: “‘Hey, man. Sorry I didn’t see these. Just caught the news about Kilbourne, which made me check this account. If you want to talk some more, maybe we could meet up.’”

“What are you gonna tell him?”

“Hell yes I want to meet up with him.” He must read the concern in my expression because he says, “I’m not assuming this is magically going to solve all my problems, Leif. But I must do fucking something . I can’t lie around this place and sulk. And who knows? He could know something the police don’t yet. They never followed up with him since Roth thought I made up the damn account myself. I’m gonna see if he’s free today.”

“I get that. I’m more concerned about you meeting a stranger from some online forum. But as long as I’m invited to tag along, I’m fine with that.”

He smirks. “My boyfriend coming along to keep me safe?”

“You’ve worked so hard to protect me; it’s time I return the favor.”

Despite being playful about it, I’m dead serious. I’m not letting my boyfriend meet some online rando who might be more of a psycho than Jason Kilbourne’s killer.

Zane’s smirk expands into a grin, and he leans over the side of the tub. “I think that sweet comment deserves a kiss.”

I lean toward him, and he takes my lips. He jerks away briefly, setting his phone on top of the toilet before seizing my lips once again.

I feel him pushing forward as he takes steps toward me. “Zane, what the hell?” I ask as he steps into the shower with me, water racing down his body, soaking his sweatpants. But he doesn’t stop kissing.

I welcome the fresh taste of Listerine on his tongue as his hands probe my body, gravitating to my ass.

It’s clear this news has cheered him up. And I’m happy to see him so frisky, but I’m worried too. This Dman guy might not have any answers for Zane, and it’s entirely possible that after we chat with him, Zane will be just as sad as he was this morning.

But I accept it’s not something I can control; the best I can do is take advantage of this moment with him.

He urges me to spin around and pushes me up against the wall. In no time, his cock is sliding between my ass cheeks. As he nibbles and bites at my shoulder blades, I enjoy the way he humps my ass with his fat cock.

“I want to fuck you right now,” he says. “Can I fuck you, Leif?”

“At this point, I’ll be pissed if you get out of this shower without fucking me.”

He snickers as he grabs a bottle of lube off the caddy, which we’ve used for a few fucks since we started messing around at his place.

*

After we fuck around, Zane coordinates with Dman.

“He wants to meet at Caribou Coffee by campus,” he tells me as I’m throwing some clothes on.

“That works. And it gives us time to swing Kyra by the animal rescue clinic.”

Zane fucking beams before throwing his phone on the mattress. He tackles me with another kiss again. He’s so fucking frisky all the way to the clinic, probably even having a hard time keeping his hands to himself when we’re with the vet.

“She looks healthy,” Dr. Minh says, “so you’ve done an excellent job caring for her.”

She has Kyra in a towel as she moves one wing about carefully, then the other. “She has good range of motion, but there could be a soft-tissue injury from the initial attack. Or it could have hurt for a while, and now she’s nervous about moving it and feeling the same pain. But I’ll run an X-ray to see if we’re missing something. It won’t detect soft-tissue damage, but it’ll let me know if there’s anything mechanical that’s gone wrong.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe she needs some more time. If you broke your leg, you might be done for a bit and be reluctant to move around on it, even after it’s better. I personally don’t believe in rushing these things. Nature has a way of doing everything it needs to on its own time.”

“I get that.”

“But you’ve done an incredible job. Maybe hold on to her for a few more weeks. If she’s still not showing any interest in flying, bring her back in for another checkup.”

Dr. Minh heads off to do the X-ray, leaving Zane and me in the examination room. I take a seat in a chair along the wall.

“You feel better?” Zane asks.

“What?”

“About Kyra? I can tell it’s been stressing you out that she hasn’t taken off yet.”

“I guess I’m impatient.”

“Well, you heard what the doc said. She just needs some time.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, rubbing with his thumb. “I think you of all people would know what that’s like.”

I know what he’s getting at. Maybe it’s one of the reasons I’ve taken to Kyra. Because we have that in common—still wounded in our own ways. Seem fine, but not quite ready to throw ourselves into the real world.

He plops down in the chair beside mine.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course. If you’d told me you wanted me to come sooner, you know I would’ve been here. That’s what boyfriends are for.”

He leans close and offers a kiss. I accept it, but I’m tense, on edge, and he must notice because when he pulls away, he says, “What’s wrong?”

We haven’t been together long enough for him to read me this well.

“Just nervous about meeting Dman.”

“You don’t have to come.”

“That’s not what I meant. We don’t know who this guy is. Have you considered that he could be connected to all this and trying to see if anyone was suspicious?”

“I have. But it’d be stupid to leave a digital trail. Still…yeah. We’re gonna be cautious. That’s why we’re meeting him at Caribou Coffee, not in some dark alley. He already knows who we both are, since I mentioned I’m Mike’s brother when I first reached out, and when he replied, he already said he’d seen your post. So it’s not like we’re safe just by not meeting up with him. And if anything feels weird or off, we bail. Deal?”

“Deal,” I say.

It doesn’t shake all my worries, but the only thing I know for sure is that, no matter what happens, I’m here for Zane.